By Jason Emerson

Editor

The Democrat and Republican candidates for the 121st State Assembly district, which includes the greater Cazenovia area, will have three local debates within the next two weeks.

Incumbent Assemblyman Bill Magee, a Democrat, who has been in office since 1990 and is a former supervisor of the town of Nelson, is seeking election to a 13th term in office. Brookfield Town Supervisor John Salka, a Republican, is trying for the second time to unseat Magee.

The two men faced off in the 2014 election, during which Magee won by 1,634 votes.

The candidates have agreed to multiple debates this election season, including three in or near the greater Cazenovia area.

The first debate will be hosted by the Chittenango High School Participation in Government class and be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Chittenango High School. The event is free and open to all. Refreshments will be served after the debate.

The next debate will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of Cazenovia at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25, in the Cazenovia Public Library community room. The event will be a forum during which Magee and Salka will answer questions posed by the audience about issues facing the New York State government. The event is free and open to all. For additional information, contact Anne Redfern at 655-9124.

Two days later, on Thursday, Oct. 27, from 7 to 9 p.m., the Hamilton Forum will host a debate between the candidates at the Colgate Inn in Hamilton. The event is free and open to all.

In addition to the multiple debates, both Magee and Salka have been interviewed by the Cazenovia Republican, which will publish candidate profiles and interviews in our Nov. 2 special election coverage.

The 121 assembly district covers more than 30 towns and the cities of Oneida and Oneonta in Madison County and parts of Oneida and Otsego counties.